Combat vets worthy of badges

As an avid reader of letters to The Dallas Morning News and a semi-frequent contributor, I read every letter every day. Wednesday’s seven letters marked a high point. Of seven letters, I found myself in complete agreement with six. The one I could not endorse was the blanket prohibition against combat veterans being hired as police officers. Of all the job skills required of officers, the split second recognition of friendly vs. bad guy is the highest priority.

While this writer has no experience in either sphere, in my reading and many years of viewing news shows, our soldiers on the ground were seldom the focus of collateral civilian deaths. They were typically the results of understandably inaccurate aerial bombing, not trigger-happy ground troops.

To extrapolate the Roy Oliver conviction into a blanket prohibition against all combat veterans would be a tragic waste of talent and resources for our nation’s police and sheriffs’ departments. It would also deprive returning veterans of a logical source of secure employment on re-entry into civilian life. We certainly don’t need another form of blind, senseless discrimination on our crowded list.

Roland D. Freeman, North Dallas

A prayer for Dallas

I have followed the Dallas City Council and our mayors for years and simply would like to say I believe all of us would like to see leaders in office who are men and women of integrity regardless of race. My continued prayer as a Christian is for our city to stand above politics and race and honor one another even when we agree to disagree.

Missed invitations

Our president wasn’t invited to the big funeral (John McCain’s) and he wasn’t invited to the big wedding (Prince Harry and Meghan Markle). Maybe he will be invited to the big house (Robert Mueller’s).

Charles McRaney, Dallas

Circus elephants in Garland

Shame on Garland. When the rest of the world is doing away with elephants in circuses, they are welcoming the Garden Circus, with a grade of F by the Better Business Bureau, to showcase their cruelty at the Curtis Culwell Center. My God, what does it take to make people do the right thing?

Even though the city of Garland has a law against wild animals, they are allowing this to take place. Anyone who can read should know these circus elephants are tortured into submission for years and controlled with bull hooks. They are dragged around the country on trains, forced to stand in hot and cold temperatures for hours on end.

I believe allowing this to continue is a stain on Garland. What kind of lesson are you teaching your kids to see animals in shackles be forced to do silly parlor tricks against their will? Shame on Garland. Shame on the City Council for allowing this travesty. Shame on Texas.

Jennifer Sellers, Richardson

Somebody has to pay

Letters suggesting we learn from such as Scandinavia and Norway always intrigue me. My first response is, “Look At A Map!” Norway resembles Florida in size. Norway offers free health care, free schools, French Constitutions and the right to own guns.

All this free sounds wonderful, but as the saying goes, “There is no such thing as a free lunch.” Somebody has to pay. Who?

In Norway, there were many wealthy people and the wealth was better distributed across income levels, according to one letter writer. How can we accomplish this wonderful income distribution in our United States?

In Scandinavia, “after paying high taxes, higher education is free … all medical care is free and medications are affordable with price controls.” Does this sound like what we want across the board for our vast and millions-population country?

Barbara Wiskow, Dallas

Fight for health care

I am a Texan with a medically complex child. This child was diagnosed in utero with several life-threatening diagnoses. My husband works so that I can stay home with my child and give her the best care possible. My family of four has private insurance through my husband’s employer that gives us access to health care. My child’s life depends on access to health care that accepts pre-existing conditions. Though the Medicaid funding in the state of Texas is absurdly insufficient, individuals like my daughter have access to some kind of care. Without the protections on pre-existing conditions, my daughter would have died.

Our family does not meet the requirements to receive Medicaid in any form, and the wait lists are astounding for a Medicaid waiver. For some, insurance equals life. Without appropriate coverage, individuals like my child will die. Additionally, if an annual or lifetime cap is put on policies, it affects the quality of care and quality of life of a medically complex or medically fragile individual.

I ask, as a concerned citizen, a dedicated mother, and a proud American that we fight for the health care rights for those who depend on it.

Maria Grey, Sanger

Dallas, tear down this mall

Last weekend, my husband and I drove around Dallas looking for a site to film a video. We passed the spillway at White Rock Lake, Winfrey Point, Klyde Warren Park and the Winspear Opera House in Arts District. The city looked wonderful.

Then we passed the gateway to Far North Dallas, Valley View Mall. I was ashamed and embarrassed. Dallas, tear down this mall.

Diane Harrell, Dallas

Any ’em but gig ’em

How long must we endure The Dallas Morning News’ love fest with Texas A&M football? There are more Ben Baby (and other writers) swooning over A&M articles than the rest of college football articles combined. Barely a day goes by without some hysteric praise for what Aggie football is. Last time I looked, Aggie football is exactly what it was while in the Big 12 — middle of the pack, mediocre, nothing special.

Sure, Aggies made a terrible contract with their new coach who can quit today to pursue a career in tiddlywinks and still be owed his entire $75 million contract. We get it, that’s newsworthy a time or two. But the constant refrains of Jimbo this and that is another example of Aggie brag about things they have not done, though they are sure spending all this money means they will do.

If I wanted all Aggie hype and puffery on a daily basis, I’d subscribe to their blogs. There are many other stories from many other worthy Texas college football programs going untold so we can have another Aggie commercial. Hook ’em, Wreck ’em, Sic ’em, any other ’em but gig.